🔗 Share this article

Keir Starmer has asserted that the Gaza ceasefire agreement "could not have happened without President Trump's leadership," yet stopped short of supporting the US president for a Nobel peace prize.

Truce Agreement Hailed as a "Relief to the World"

Starmer remarked that the initial stage of the agreement would be a "relief to the world" and noted that the UK had played its own role in private discussions with the United States and negotiators.

Speaking on the last day of his business trip to the Indian subcontinent, Starmer emphasized that the agreement "needs to be put into action in full, without delay, and accompanied by the prompt removal of all restrictions on life-saving humanitarian aid to Gaza."

Nobel Prize Inquiry Answered

But, when asked if the Nobel committee should at this time award Trump the coveted award, the Prime Minister implied that time was required to know if a durable peace could be attained.

"The priority now is to move forward and implement this ... my attention now is transitioning this from the phase it's at now ... and make a success of this, because that matters to me above all," he stated at a press conference in Mumbai.

Business Deals Revealed During Trip to India

The Prime Minister has celebrated a number of deals finalized during his tour to the country – his first time there – accompanied by over a hundred executives and cultural leaders. The trip marks the implementation of the two nations' free trade agreement.

• The UK government has announced a slew of investments, from financial technology to university campuses, as well as the making of three Bollywood films in the UK.
• On Thursday, Starmer signed a defence deal worth £350m for UK missiles, produced in Northern Ireland, to be used by the Indian military.

"Our history together is profound, the personal ties between our people are truly special," Starmer remarked as he left the city. "Building on our landmark agreement, we are reinventing this partnership for our times."

Digital Identification System Studied

The Prime Minister has dedicated time in India analyzing the national digital identification program, including consulting key figures who designed the widespread system used by over a billion individuals for social services, transactions, and identification.

He suggested that the United Kingdom was considering expanding the scope of digital identification beyond making it mandatory to verify eligibility to work. He indicated that the Britain would eventually look at linking it to banking and payments systems – on a voluntary basis – as well as for official procedures such as home loan and educational enrollments.

"It's been taken up on a optional basis [in India] in huge numbers, not least because it ensures that you can retrieve your own money, make payments so much more easily than is possible with alternative methods," he explained.

"The speed with which it enables residents here to access services, particularly financial services, is something that was acknowledged in our discussions recently, and in fact a financial technology conversation that we had as well. So we're examining those examples of how digital identification assists individuals with procedures that often take too long and are too cumbersome and makes them easier for them."

Popular Backing for Reforms

Starmer acknowledged that the government had to make the case for the reforms to the UK citizens, which have plummeted in popularity since he announced them.

"I think now we need to go out and advocate for the significant advantages ... And I think that the more people see the positive outcomes that come with this ... as has occurred in other countries, people say: 'That will make my life easier,' and therefore I want to proceed with it," he affirmed.

Rights Issues and Global Affairs Discussed

Starmer confirmed he had raised a number of difficult topics with the Indian leader regarding human rights and relations with the Russian Federation, though he appeared to have made little headway. He confirmed that he and Modi discussed how India was persisting to buy oil from Russia, which is subject to widespread western sanctions.

"For both Prime Minister Modi and me the focus on ending this situation and the various steps will be implemented to that end," he said. "This included a wide range of dialogue, but we did set out the steps that we are undertaking in regarding energy."

The Prime Minister also mentioned he had brought up the situation of the British Sikh activist the individual, from Scotland, who has been held in an Indian jail for nearly eight years without facing a complete legal process. It is often cited as one of the worst examples of injustice among Britons still held overseas.

However, he did not suggest much progress had been made. "Indeed, we did raise the consular cases," he stated. "We always raise them when we have the chance to do so. I must add that the foreign secretary is scheduled to meet the families in the near future, as well as discussing it now."

Future Plans

The prime minister is largely anticipated to take a comparable trade-focused trip to China in the coming year as part of a effort to ease relations between the UK and China.

This bilateral connection is receiving attention because of the collapse of a espionage investigation, said to have happened because the British authorities has been reluctant to provide new proof that the country is considered a security risk.

Starmer said the UK was keen to pursue other trading relationships but emphasized that a trade deal with China was not on the agenda. "It is not a priority, for a trade deal as such, but our position is to work together where we are able, challenge where we must, and that's been the consistent policy of the administration in relation to China."